Promise
by pessa
Summary: Haymitch- a promise to obey from his lover, a broken promise, a second chance, and a HungerGames-less second life. I'm sorry, I suck at summaries. Spoilers of all the books.


Haymitch stood in the forest, feeling hysterical for no reason at the gates that used to hum with electricity. He just stood there in his suit, tie around his neck loosely, and his hair messy. Katniss had made him try the baby-blue striped suit, laughing uncontrollably with her little daughter. Peeta just stood at the side, wondering how Haymitch was able to allow such weird and unfitting apparel on to him in seconds. Drunk, as always, probably wooed by the endless liquor supply and thinking _Hey, this is fun. I get to ruin this suit if I can barf. _Katniss had said this company in District 8 gave it to him, for no reason. It seemed rather odd, since obviously the work they did on this suit would be wasted in the garbage in mere seconds. The attire stayed with Haymitch longer than he intended.

The fence still had their barbed wire, but the fence could open. There are parts of the forest you could reach without the need to crawl under the fence, but most average children and adults have no clue or just rely on those rebel hunters to do the hunting for them. Haymitch found a big hole, crawled, and let out a puff of alcohol odours, vomit, and loneliness. Haymitch stopped swigging his bottle around, and looked around. The forest was so ambient, even at this time in the night. The animals were out, though they were sleek and sly. Haymitch was easy prey compared to the little owls, quietly taking their watch at the night. He slumped down, leaning on a tree. The fence was still viewable, but it wasn't close. Haymitch wanted somewhere to go to, where he knows those once-dangerous gates will always stand guard but know that the town wouldn't go out of their slumbers. Taking one last big gulp at the liquor, he put it down next to him and sighed. Closing his eyes, he flashed back to so many years ago.

Haymitch waited in a room in the Justice Building, where he'd be greeted with some sly and fake goodbyes. Not a lot of his classmates seemed to show real sadness or pity- they just acted at a horrible tone, he knew they were just trying to make him feel insecure. The truth is, Haymitch wasn't feeling sad that his classmates didn't care of him. The classmates were the ones who should feel insecure, because he ended up cursing and taunting at them. They were glad to follow the summoning Peacekeeper out. Finally, after tears shed of his parents, a pretty girl around his age came in. She had curly auburn hair, though it was primped up just for this occasion. Her eyes were grey, and her face showed signs of stress, new stress. She plopped down on the velvety sofa next to him, her eyes warning him to listen to everything and never forget.

"Haymitch..." her soft voice said, quivering. She was silent.

Haymitch locked his hands with hers. "Maria...don't worry. You know I can kick ass at the games. They're all too stupid to be an enemy of mine."

Maria didn't leave her eyes off of his. "Listen." Her voice was now solemn and structured, still fragile but surrounded by some barrier. "Don't underestimate them. It happens all the time and someone gets hurt. I just wish you didn't have to go."

Haymitch hesitated. This girl, who he'd loved for years, could never be in his arms again if he failed. Could never be in his sight again if he dies. She was warning him of everything that he could lose because of the games. She was telling him how dangerous everything was, though there's no backing up now. Haymitch leaned in and planted one, slow and soft kiss on her lips. When they separated, tears were already flowing down her cheeks. Haymitch consoled her, but a Peacekeeper shortly came in. It was time for her to leave. He needed more time, though. Maria quickly spoke. "Don't go insane if I die." He was confused.

"You have to promise me, don't go insane. No matter what, live life peacefully. Don't stop loving another woman just because I am not here. Do. Not. Go. Insane. Promise me. This is a wish. A command. Just promise me-"

"I promise," he quickly said.

She continued but was cut short as two other Peacekeepers came in, took her arms, and carried her out. "PROMISE ME, HAYMITCH! DON'T GO-" The door shut. He had the last few minutes to himself, now.

Haymitch opened his eyes, back to reality. "Insane..." he quietly murmured, repeating what she said. He looked back to the past years. Still the same- drinking liquor everyday, or as close to everyday as possible, since Katniss and Peeta sometimes would once again throw his supply of alcohol into the dumps or just flush it down the toilet. He thought, _hey, I'm not insane. I'm just drinking alcohol. _But he realized Maria would definitely have listed this as an example of insane. Especially at the amount he drinks everyday. Haymitch buried his face in his hands, a slow stream of rivers sliding down his cheeks and onto his hands. He heard a rustle in the bushes. Looking up, he saw Maria, looking pale, broken, and in pain. He sat up, and reached to caress her hair. She was transparent. _Of course.._Haymitch thought. _Stupid President Snow killed her. And my family. Just because I was too smart and the Gamemakers were to easy. _She smiled at him, though she winced. "Maria...I went insane, right?" he asked to the figure, who floated a few inches off the ground. "I broke your promise Maria. I-I just went..insane. I can't go back."

She put a finger to her lips. She grabbed his hand and held tight. He closed his eyes. A rush of happy memories of the two came into his mind. Suddenly, his mind flashed with the scene of the two in the room, her last promise coming out of her mouth, urgent and so pleading. He had broken his promise, betrayed her, and damaged himself in the process. She still smiled, now the colour of her dress, and her cheeks, then her eyes, and her whole body becoming strong again. She slowly whispered, _"Promise me again. Don't go insane. Do it now. Don't. Go. Insane, Haymitch. You have a life I want you to live happily."_

He managed to croak the words, "I promise, and I'll follow this time. For you." Maria dissolved just in time, and Haymitch was once again left in the forest with that bottle of the damaging killer. He trudged home, throwing the bottles of endless alcohol into the trash. "I have a life to live. For Maria. For my family. And the Hunger Games aren't going to be in this new life, anymore. Ever."

**Author's Note: **Sooo...how'd you like it?

Was it a bit harsh? Not descriptive? Please tell me so! Thanks for reading!

I don't own anyone/anything in this book except my OC Maria.

I hate the Capitol and President Snow. Snow, the bloodthirsty murderer who gives mandatory gifts of torture to innocent people. I hate him so much. I'm glad he died. Legit, if he didn't die, I'd freak out. Panic. Because he's a horrible person/character.

Anyways, thanks for reading! Have a great day! :)

-101Blue101


End file.
